Page 84 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

"Toya!" Monique and Meka gasped.

"I just want to watch and root for Raz," Toya explained. "I can be on the sidelines shouting, This... is... Sparta!"

Monique shook her head. Toya didn't even realize how serious and how dangerous this calling out crap was. Raz had enough on his plate already. He didn't need his own blood making things more difficult for him.

Mind racing, Monique stared down at the floor. Raz had so much on his plate. Hell, he no longer had a plate. He now had a platter. A platter of problems. Would this kidnapping add more stress to him?

She wanted to help lighten his load. But would having her in his life only bring him more trouble? Maybe she needed to rethink all of this. Maybe she needed to wait until his position as don became more stable before she tried to convince him that she could handle whatever this world threw at them.

But by the time that happened, would he have completely forgotten about her?

Chapter Twenty-Four

MONIQUE

"Raz has to be under a lot of stress," Monique whispered. "I don't want to add to it. It would be selfish of me to do that to him." She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I firmly believe the one thing that would lighten his load is having you back," Cas told her.

Monique met his gaze. "I'm not so sure about that now."

"Trust me. Not having you is making things ten times harder on him. He can't focus on work because he's too focused on you. You're his biggest distraction."

"How can I possibly distract him? I'm not in his life. He's shut me out completely."

"Exactly. He doesn't realize that not having you in his life is more dangerous than having you in it. He doesn't realize that he has one foot in the family and the other out the door, ready to come hunt you down. He's torn between two worlds and can't fully focus on either. But, with you in his life, he'd finally be free to handlebusiness the way it needs to be handled. With you in his life, he'd be ready to take on not just our family and our enemies, Raz would be ready to take on the world."

"He won't have to do it alone," Monique promised. "I'm willing to help him take on the world. I wouldn't stand back and let him handle this on his own. I want to walk by his side, not behind him."

"Our lifestyle is a dangerous lifestyle," Cas reminded her. "You sure you can handle it and everything that comes with it?"

"There are dangers everywhere. I can walk outside and get hit by a car tomorrow. A plane could crash over my house next week. I could catch a common cold and die this winter. Death is around every corner, but we ignore it because we believe it can't happen to us. Why can't I choose to do the same regarding Raz? Sure, I could die. But I could also live a long and happy life with him. He's worth the risk. Plus, no one can predict the future. Trying to do so will only drive you crazy and make you miss out on what's right in front of you."

Cas smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Raz needs you. He knows it. But he's letting fear dictate his actions. You're not afraid to face him head-on. And that's exactly what he needs. He needs someone to show him that he has nothing to fear. He has everything set up to keep you away," Cas told her. "And he's threatened to kill anyone who tries to help you reach him. Me included."

"Damn, that's savage," Toya drawled.

"He's a don now," Cas explained. "He has to be savage. This life is savage, which is why he wants to keep Monique away from it. But she doesn't fear it. It's up to her to show him that she can be savage too. I'm willing to help. But once we start this, we can't stop. Everyone will be assigned their tasks, and we all have to do our jobs, or the mission will fail," Cas explained. "Are you all really ready to kidnap the Cattaneo Don? Will you hold your post and complete your task no matter what happens? You can't get scared and chicken out halfway through. We're either all in or all out. Are you all in?"

Monique swallowed as she stared from Meka to Toya. Toya nodded. Meka nodded. Monique faced Cas. She nodded, too. They were all in.

"Alright. Here's the plan," Cas started.

They spent the next hour formulating a plan to kidnap Orazio Cattaneo, the don of the Cattaneo family and the keeper of Monique Rose’s heart.

***

It was really happening! They were finally planning their kidnapping. Monique couldn't lie; she was starting to get excited. There was something thrilling about it all. She felt like she was living on the edge. She felt like such a...savage.

"Should we get t-shirts made that say,I'm a savage?" Monique asked her friends.

Toya nodded. "I'm writing that down right now." Toya proceeded to jot down that suggestion in the notebook where she was writing all their ideas.

"I want mine in pink," Meka told Toya. "With black writing."

"Cute," Toya drawled. "You need some pink heels to go with it."

"Oh, yeah," Meka agreed. "And I can get some pink streaks in my hair."

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